Bloons TD 6: Best Monkey Knowledge, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Lingering Magic benefits magic monkeys with longer projectile lifespan, essential for reaching balloons across the map simultaneously.
• Elite Military Training boosts early XP for military monkeys, accelerating upgrades and enhancing gameplay.
• There Can Only Be One unlocks the powerful Vengeful True Sun God and highlights its unique restrictions in gameplay.

One of the important things for new Bloons Tower Defense 6 players to pick up on is the monkey knowledge gained as players go through the levels. A monkey knowledge point helps in all (or almost all) game modes and can make a huge difference to gameplay.

From simple additions to major assistance in games, players will need to add monkey knowledge points if they want to beat the hardest game modes on the most intense maps. It is a good idea to make sure the right monkey knowledge points are attained as soon as possible to make things a little easier. Here are the most advantageous ones in the game.

Updated November 11th, 2024, by Chris Harkin: Although there haven’t been many huge updates in Bloons TD 6 recently with specific respect to the Monkey Knowledge points, there are always more that players should be focusing on unlocking. Whether these are early-game ones that can be helpful for beginners, or late-game knowledge that has to be worked towards over a great number of games and levels, it is extremely worth looking through the knowledge charts and trying to figure out which direction to focus on, and which knowledge trees have the most important perks. Although players can eventually unlock every piece of knowledge, it will take quite some time to get through them all, and the later levels can take a hugely long time.

14 Increased Lifespan

Wider Range For Primary Monkeys Is Hugely Helpful

• Primary Knowledge
• Requires 0 Points
• Costs 0 Monkey Money

Although there are many options for where to get started on Primary Knowledge, this important tree contains a great starting point in Increased Lifespan. This cheap early point gives a longer lifespan to the projectiles thrown or shot by several primary-type monkeys. With it, an important number of extra bloons will be popped, especially in the early part of a game.

Although it might seem like there are better places to go with Monkey Knowledge points, paths have to be unlocked and therefore players must start somewhere. Increased Lifespan is a great middle-of-the-road upgrade that helps massively with early gameplay and unlocks bigger and badder upgrades down the line on the Primary Knowledge tree.

13 Advanced Logistics

Reducing Costs Is Huge For All Game Modes

• Military Knowledge
• Requires 14 Points
• Costs 1000 Monkey Money

One of the later-game unlocks in the Military Knowledge tree, Advanced Logistics is a hugely important upgrade to work towards as quickly as possible. Players attempting to beat tougher game modes in particular will find that every little counts in terms of pops and money in-game. Advanced Logistics is a huge help in providing a major discount.

With Advanced Logistics unlocked players will be able to get 5% discount on all military monkey prices. This is huge for earlier in games when just getting towers down is important. Small savings like this earlier in a game will add up by allowing players to get to their first big upgrades faster. Advanced Logistics and other continuous discounts like this are invaluable once players reach game modes like Impoppable where money is extremely tight and a real commodity.

12 Lingering Magic

Longer Projectile Lifespan For Most Magic Monkeys

• Magic Knowledge
• Requires 0 Points
• Costs 0 Monkey Money

Not only is Lingering Magic a huge upgrade to some of the most powerful types of towers in the game, but it is also easy to get immediately. Players will get a Monkey Knowledge point every time they level up, and this happens quickly several times early in the game. Lingering Magic is one of the first MK unlockables in the Magic section.

Giving longer projectile lifespans to a variety of monkeys, including druids, ninjas, super monkeys, and wizard monkeys, this knowledge doesn’t sound like a massive upgrade. But projectiles lasting longer means they spread across more of the map, especially necessary later in the game, as balloons can be found in many places on the track simultaneously.

11 Elite Military Training

Big Help For Military Monkey XP Early On

• Military Knowledge
• Requires 0 Points
• Costs 0 Monkey Money

Despite being a very early piece of Monkey Knowledge in the Military Knowledge section, Elite Military Training is very important. XP for monkeys is key early in a new player’s career within Bloons TD 6. By allowing them to pick up the biggest upgrades when they get enough, players will often have to grind early in the game to unlock their favorite monkeys’ biggest upgrades fast.

Elite Military Training helps massively with this. Taking it as one of the first Monkey Knowledge opportunities gives players a one-off 1000xp boost to every military monkey, and then makes them earn xp 5% faster in-game permanently. This is a massive buff, especially if chosen fast, which will help players’ military monkeys get up to scratch fast.

10 There Can Only Be One

The Most Mysterious & Powerful Upgrade

• Magic Knowledge
• Requires 8 Points
• Costs 500 Monkey Money

Though the release of Paragons has lessened the overall strength of Super Monkeys in Bloons TD 6, there is still a lot of use to be gotten out of the True Sun God, the most powerful Super Monkey upgrade. However, players may have heard of the Vengeful True Sun God, which can only be gotten after purchasing this piece of Monkey Knowledge.

The mysterious description doesn’t tell much, but “There Can Only Be One” is a reference to how only one of the Vengeful True Sun Gods can be on-screen at any time, even in co-op. The many sacrifices of towers and specific requirements turn some new players off from trying to summon the VTSG frequently, but his power is unmatched with paragon monkeys.

9 Master Double Cross

Allows Players To Have TWO Crossbow Masters

• Primary Knowledge
• Requires 8 Points
• Costs 250 Monkey Money

A vital move for late-game play is to gain a second crossbow master. Usually, players may only have one of each Tier 5 monkey. To create a paragon of a monkey (or a Tier 6), players need to have all three Tier 5 monkeys of a certain type active simultaneously.

However, if a player has unlocked Master Double Cross and gets two crossbow masters as well as the other Tier 5 dart monkeys, they can immediately and automatically create a higher-level paragon. This exponentially increases the capabilities of their paragon for late-game play.

8 Military Conscription

First Military Monkey Bought Every Game Is Cheaper

• Military Knowledge
• Requires 14 Points
• Costs 1000 Monkey Money

This monkey knowledge reduces the price of the first (and only the first) military monkey bought each game. This can be a valuable boost in the early game when players are looking to get towers down fast and are strapped for cash.

The ability to put an incredibly cheap sniper down, or a greatly reduced monkey ace or helicopter, can change the course of a game completely. A third off the price of an early monkey may seem cheap later in the game, but it is a massive immediate boost at the start of every game.

7 Mana Shield

Creates A Regenerating Life Shield

• Magic Knowledge
• Requires 8 Points
• Costs 1000 Monkey Money

Lives are obviously a huge part of Bloons Tower Defense 6. It is incredibly important to keep them early in the game when small leaks can wear a player’s life down to zero. There are other ways to increase lives as the game goes on, but the Mana Shield gives a special shield that absorbs up to 25 lives and can recharge.

This is a valuable addition to something that a lot of players don’t think about during the game. It can be valuable to allow a few bloons to tactically leak earlier in the game, and a mana shield gives an extra level of safety for players trying to utilize such methods.

6 Sub Admiral

Upgrades Sub Commander To Buff All Submarines

• Military Knowledge
• Requires 14 Points
• Costs 1000 Monkey Money

The best choices for monkey knowledge to unlock early in the game will depend upon each individual’s personal play style. One excellent method uses the monkey subs and their upgrade sub commander, which boosts the attack of all subs within a certain range on the map.

The Sub Admiral upgrade increases the range of the sub commander boost to the entire map, which is a drastic shift that greatly increases the capabilities of what monkey subs can do for a player. This valuable boost is replicated in various ways by other monkey knowledge for other towers, but players will have to decide for themselves which play style and towers they prefer to focus on.

5 Monkey Education

All Monkey XP Rate Increased By 8%

• Support Knowledge
• Requires 3 Points
• Costs 0 Monkey Money

One of the most necessary early-game components for quick advancement is to get the Monkey Education. This perk increases the rate at which all monkeys earn XP by 8%. Often, players will find that starting in BTD6 becomes quite a grind and can be difficult since it takes quite some time to unlock the bigger upgrades.

However, this entire process becomes much easier if players get Monkey Education. The speed at which upgrades are unlocked will be much quicker, and players will skip a great deal of the grinding that the game provides.

4 Empowered Heroes

Heroes Start Each Game At Level 3

• Hero Knowledge
• Requires 8 Points
• Costs 500 Monkey Money

Heroes are one of the most vital components of BTD6 as they can allow for an incredible amount of power early-game, and can even be difference makers later in the game or on boss rounds. Empowered Heroes starts heroes at Level 3 in every game, providing a huge boost in XP that quickens their path to ultimate destruction.

For many players, getting their hero all the way to the maximum level 20 is a huge part of their gameplay strategy. Considering this, Empowered Heroes is a vital component of many strategies.

3 Bonus Monkey!

Start Each Game With 1 Free Dart Monkey

• Primary Knowledge
• Requires 10 Points
• Costs 1000 Monkey Money

Some may not think that a free dart monkey at the start of every game is that big of a boost. But in a game where players start with limited money, particularly in modes like half-cash, an immediate extra tower can easily be the difference between life and death.

The free dart monkey can be massive and allows players to save up for bigger monkeys from the beginning of the game. It can be devastating to try and beat some of the hardest game modes without this additional manpower at the beginning of the game.

2 Big Bloon Sabotage

All MOABs Spawn Partially Damaged

• Military Knowledge
• Requires 14 Points
• Costs 1000 Monkey Money

MOABS are the real monsters of Bloons TD6. Whether it is a game-ending 40th-round appearance, the DDTs that start appearing in round 90, or the horrific fortified ZOMGs, there are all kinds of MOABS, and they will usually end games eventually.

To spawn all MOABS in a partially damaged state is therefore one of the greatest gifts players could receive. One of the major reasons that players can level up and get further in the game after getting more monkey knowledge, this is a vital piece of the puzzle for players looking to advance.

1 More Cash

Increase Starting Cash By 200

• Primary Knowledge
• Requires 10 Points
• Costs 1000 Monkey Money

This is a simple concept and simply the best piece of monkey knowledge the game could produce. BTD6 is all about money. Most of the major methods in the late game involve mass amounts of farming for cash. The best heroes give out money, and players desperately claw for the most cash in co-op modes. Money is control.

More Cash is the last monkey knowledge in the primary path, and it lets players start every game with 200 more starting cash. This is obviously a massive difference and a huge boost to players looking to win the big rounds on the most advanced maps. It’s a whole extra starting tower in itself, but it also allows quick farming which makes all the difference in the world.